Motor fuels



2,726,942 Patented Dec. 13, 1955 MOTOR FUELS Jerome W. Arkis, Hammond, Ind., and Joseph Musser Miller, La Grange, 111., assignors to Standard Oil Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Indiana No Drawing. Application December 17, 1951, Serial No. 262,191

7 Claims. (Cl. 44-56) This invention relates to improvements in motor fuel additive compositions and more particularly relates to motor fuel additive compositions and motor fuel compo sitions having improved gum and resin removing properties and non-icing properties.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved motor fuel for spark ignition internal combustion engines which will remove gum and/ or resins from valves, cylinders, etc., and which will inhibit the freezing of water in fuel lines and carburetors. Another object of the present invention is to provide an additive composition for motor fuels which will remove gum and/or resins from cylinders, valves, etc., and which will prevent the freezing of accumulated water in fuel lines and carburetors. Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description thereof.

The motor fuel additive composition of the present invention comprises from about to about 90% of an aliphatic alcohol of not more than about 4 carbon atoms, from about 10% to about 90% of an aromatic solvent of the type hereinafter described, and if desired, up to about 0.5% of a corrosion inhibitor. Suitable alcohols are methanol, ethanol, isopropanol and butanol. Although any of the named alcohols can be used, We have found it more desirable to use a mixture of methanol and isopropanol in the proportions of about 2 parts of methanol to 1 part of isopropanol.

The aromatic solvent used in the present invention comprises predominantly alkylpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons having not more than 3 condensed aromatic rings, preferably a mixture of mono-, di and tri-methyl naphthalenes obtained as a bottoms fraction in the catalytic conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons by the so-called hydroformer process. A process by which the hydroformer polymer can be obtained is described in U. S. 2,320,147. Briefly, the process comprises treating a virgin or cracked naphtha or a mixture thereof with a solid porous hydroforming catalyst, such as an oxide of a metal of group 2 to 6 of the periodic system, and particularly an oxide of a group 6 metal, such as chromium or molybdenum suitably supported on alumina or magnesia. The conversion is suitably carried out at a temperature of from about 850 F. to about 1050 F., and if desired, in the presence of hydrogen. The hydroformer reaction products are fractionated by taking overhead a catalytically reformed gasoline of suitable end point and recovering a higher boiling material as bottoms which boil from about 350 F. to about 750 F., and have gravities of from about 10 API to about 13 API. The bottoms referred to herein and in the appended claims as hydroformer polymer is a complex mixture of monoand polycyclic aromatics of the type above described. A

typical vacuum distillation of'a hydroformer polymer sample having a gravity of about 12 API shows the following:

Fraction, percent Component Toluene. Xylenes. 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene. 1,3,4-Trimethylbenzene. 1,2,3-Trimethylbenzene. Tetramethylbenzene. Naphthalene. Monomethylnaphthalenes. Dipheny]. Dimethylnaphthalenes. Methyldiphenyls. Trimethylnaphthalenes. Fluorene. Methyliiuorenes. Anthracenes and Phenanthrene. Methylanthracenes and Methylphenanthrenes. P

yrene. Tetracyclics and higher.

A representative hydroformer polymer fraction exhibits the following physical properties:

While the entire hydroformer polymer can be used, it is preferred to use the 0% to fraction, or the fraction boiling between about 400 F. and 600 F.

If desired, there can be added to the composition of the present invention up to about 0.5% of an organic oilsoluble compound having the property of inhibiting corrosion. Suitable oil-soluble organic corrosion inhibitors are for example, the oil-soluble alkylated oxy aryl sulfides, such as the alkylated phenol sulfide, for example tertiary amyl phenol mono-sulfide; N-alkylated aromatic amines containing an oxygenated aliphatic substituent group in the aromatic nucleus, such as for example, N-methyl ortho methyl anthranilate; organic esters of an acid of phosphorus, particularly the alkyl esters of at least 8 carbon atoms of phosphoric acid, and other corrosion inhibitors known in the art. An organic ester of phosphoric acid which has been found particularly well suited for this purpose is a mixture of alkyl phosphates obtained by esterifying lauryl alcohol which is a mixture consisting largely of dodecyl alcohol with minor amounts of decyl and tetradecyl alcohols with phosphorus pentoxide. The esterified product which is obtained contains both monoalkyl and di-alkyl esters with the latter predominating.

A motor fuel additive composition which we have found to be particularly effective in removing gum and/ or resins from valves, cylinders, carburetors, etc., and which prevents the freezing of accumulated water in fuel lines and carburetors, consists essentially of the following:

Per cent Methanol 5-90 Isopropanol 5-90 Hydroformer bottoms 10-90 plus Alkyl phosphates -0.5

Anexample of a motor fuel additive which exhibited ma imum ef ici ncy. base on a r p ck-up in he fu l tank and fuel lines, low temperature stability of the solvent and upper cylinder lubrication is the following:

1 Mixture of GMT-C11 alkyl phosphate.

In using the herein described motor fuel additive, it is the usual practice to add from about 0.5 part to about 5.0 parts of the additive composition to 100 parts of the motor fuel. The amount of the additive composition added to the motor fuel will be governed to some extent by the prevailing atmospheric conditions such as temperature and/or humidity. In practice it is preferred to introduce the additive composition in the desired amount in the fuel tank of the engine, although it can also be added in the motor fuel storage tank. The spark-ignition internal combustion engine fuel can be any hydrocarbon fuel having gasoline distillation characteristics whether obtained from straight nm or cracked petroleum oils or prepared synthetically. Motor fuels of the. type usually have a distillation range of from about 100 F. to about 400 F. Blends of hydrocarbons, such as blends of petroleum distillates and benzol can also be used.

The herein described motor fuel additive can also be employed to remove gums and/or resins or sludge from top cylinder parts, carburetors, etc., by introducing the additive directly into the carburetor through the air intake port.

It will be understood that the additive composition can be added to any hydrocarbon spark ignition motor fuel which may contain anti-knock agents, such as lead tetraethyl, gum inhibitors or anti-oxidants, metal deactivators, etc.

Percentages given herein and in the appended claims are volume percentages unless otherwise stated.

We claim:

1. A spark ignition internal combustion engine motor fuel additive composition consisting essentially of from about 10% to about 9.0% of an aliphatic alcohol of not more than about 4 carbon atoms, from about 10% to about 90% of a catalytic hydroformer polymer fraction boiling within. the range of from about 350 F. to about 750 F., having a gravity of from about 10 A. P. I. to about 13 A. P. I., and comprising predominantly of alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons having not more than three condensed aromatic rings, and from 0% to about 0.5% of an oil-soluble organic corrosion inhibitor.

2. A spark ignition internal combustion engine motor fuel additive composition consisting essentially of from about to about 90% methanol, from about 5% to about isopropanol, from about 10% to about 90% of a catalytic hydroformer polymer fraction boiling within the range of from about 400 F. to about 600 F., and comprising predominantly of alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons having not more than three condensed aromatic rings and from 0% to about 0.5% alkyl phosphates.

3. A composition as described in claim 2 in which the alkyl phosphate is a mixture of C10 to C14 alkyl phosphates.

4. A spark ignition internal combustion engine motor fuel consisting essentially of about parts of a petroleum distillate boiling within the gasoline distillation range, and from about 0.5 part to about 5.0 parts of an additive .compositionconsisting essentially of from about 10% to about 90% of an aliphatic alcohol of not more than about 4 carbon atoms, from about 10% to about 90% of a catalytic hydroformer polymer fraction boiling within the range of from about 350 F. to about 750 F., having a gravity of from about 10 A. P. I. to about 13 A. P. I., and comprising predominantly alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons having not more than three condensed aromatic rings, and up to about 0.5% of an oilsolubleorganic corrosion inhibitor.

5. A spark ignition internal combustion engine motor fuel comprising 100 parts of a petroleum distillate boiling within the gasoline distillation range, and from about 0.5 part to about 5 parts of an additive composition consisting essentially of from about 5% to about-90% methanol, from about 5% to about 90% isopropanol, from about 10% to about 90% of a catalytic hydroformer polymer fraction boiling within the range of from about 400 F. to about 600 F., and comprising predominantly alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons having not more than three condenser aromatic rings, and not more than about 0.5% of an alkyl ester of at least 8 carbon atoms of an acid of phosphorus.

6. A motor fuel composition as described in claim 5 in which the alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a mixture of mono-, di-, and tri-methyl naphthalenes.

7. A spark ignition internal combustion engine motor fuel additive composition consisting essentially of from about 50% methanol, 25% isopropanol, about 25% of an aromatic solvent composed predominantly of a mixture of mono-, di-, and tri-methyl naphthalenes, and boiling within the range of from about 400 F., to about 600 F., and about 0.1% added of a mixture of C10 to C14 alkyl phosphates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Glossary of Refining Terminology (Information Division Search 546-5) page 28 published by Std. Oil Co. of Indiana.

Alcohol, A Fuel For Internal Combustion Engines,

' Pleeth-Chapman & Hall Ltd., London 1949 pg. 97. 

1. A SPARK IGNITION INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE MOTOR FUEL ADDITIVE COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF FROM ABOUT 10% TO ABOUT 90* OF AN ALIPHATIC ALCOHOL OF NOT ORE THANT ABOUT 4 CARBON ATOMS, FROM ABOUT 10% TO ABOUT 90% OF A CATALYTIC HYDROFORMER POLYMER FRACTION BOILING WIHTIN THE RANGE OF FROM 350*F. TO ABOUT 750* F., HAVING A GRAVITY OF FROM ABOUT 10* A. P. I. TO ABOUT 13* A.P.I., AND COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY OF ALKYL POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS HAVNG NOT MORE THAN THREE CONDENSED AROMATIC RINGS, AND FROM 0% TO ABOUT 0.5% OF AN OIL-SOLUBLE ORGANIC CORROSION INHIBITOR. 